A great sheath knife for ScoutsA KNIFE PERMIT IS REQUIRED BEFORE YOU CAN BRING A KNIFE TO SCOUT EVENTS.

MORA 511

The two most common, (even encouraged) misconceptions about selecting a knife for Scouting are:1. A pocket knife (Swiss Army) is efficient enough for every one of our needs. 2. A sheath knife should be fancy looking and shiny (stainless steel or chrome). A Swiss Army knife is invaluable around a campsite but it isn't worth much out in the wilderness. The blades are too small and soft for any real tough work and the handle gets uncomfortable very quickly, often causing blisters on the hand. Likewise, a fancy looking wooden and steel handles is not really designed to fit comfortably in the hand for a long time while working on a project.Stainless steel is a soft metal, difficult to keep sharp for the kind of work Scouts do.On some fancy sheath knives the tang of the blade doesn't go deep enough into the handle allowing for weakness at the handle/blade interface.

MORA 510 X-RAY
Same blade as MORA 511

By: Scouter Peter

My reasons for suggesting the MORA 511 to Scouts

Made in Sweden, MORA knives have been around for over 100 years and are still very well liked by most outdoorsmen. 1. This knife is inexpensive and easy to order on-line. ($9 to $19 plus shipping)2. The blade is made from carbon steel, easy to sharpen and it stays sharp. A sharp knife is a safe knife because less force is required to use it - less force means more control. 3. The handle is comfortable when working for a long time. 4. The handle has a finger guard, a very good feature for youth.5. The tang goes deep into the handle; it is a sturdy knife. 6. It comes with a hard plastic sheath.7. It's red handle makes it more difficult to loose in the woods.